Howl
by Stef
Summary: AU-Gabriel was a quiet guy that kept to himself. Elle was your typical "mean girl". When a prank goes terribly wrong, it changes them both forever.


**Howl**

**Author:** stefichan

**Rating:** M

**Fandom:** Heroes

**Pairing: **Sylar/Elle

**Summary:** _A man who's pure of heart and says his prayers by night may still become a wolf when the autumn moon is bright. _A Heroes AU fic.

Gabriel Gray led what most college seniors his age probably considered a dull life. He had no real friends, just acquaintances for the most part. His time after school was usually spent in his dorm room or on the rare occasion, his mother's house. He dressed like an old man and attended church every Sunday, sometimes staying after the early mass for the second one. He had perfect grades and kept to himself, not wanting to distract himself with the social trivialities that came with the higher education experience.

At least until he needed money.

Gabriel used to work part time at the watch repair shop his father owned, but once dad skipped town, he couldn't bring himself to set foot in the place. It could burn to the ground for all he cared.

He took to Craigslist and skimmed past the scammer job postings in the area. One posting in particular held some promise:

HELP MY KID.

TUTOR NEEDED FOR M-F SESSIONS. $$$ IS NO OBJECT.

Gabriel responded as quickly as he stumbled across the posting, giving his cell phone number and an e-mail address. If he could negotiate just enough to pay his bills for the rest of the semester he'd be happy.

Not a day went by and he got a response from the original poster stating that he'd be meeting their kid at the public library that next Monday afternoon in the Reference section. The poster also mentioned that for every session, the kid would be bringing $50 for Gabriel, an amount that would increase as the kid's grades did. Not bad for a start.

The weekend passed the way his weekends always did. Saturday night at the movies by himself. Sunday morning at church, though he did skip his usual second service in favor of cleaning his bathroom. Monday, after classes, he arrived early at the library to meet 'the kid' for tutoring.

He could see her sitting at the large table by herself. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail and her bangs were swept across her forehead. Blue eyes were studying the cell phone in her hand. She wore a white sparkle scarf with a bright blue sweater dress and white leggings. When she felt his eyes on her, she looked up.

"Oh God, _you're_ my tutor?" She asked, less than thrilled.

Her name was Elle Bishop. She was in two of Gabriel's classes even though she was a few years younger than him. She was a fairly popular girl on campus and all the guys would talk about her behind her back. She had a reputation for being a flirt and a tease, but more so for being a mean girl.

"I suppose I am," Gabriel answered her. He set his books down on the table and sat himself across from her. "Though I am quite sure God has nothing to do with it."

Elle rolled her baby blue eyes skyward. "Whatever," she watched him get situated and smiled slowly at him. "Hey, how about I just give you the money from my Daddy and you can just tell him we studied."

Gabriel frowned. "That's a little dishonest, don't you think?"

"Mmmmmaybe," Elle sang. "But wouldn't it just be easier to take the cash and say you did it? I mean, I have things I'd much rather be doing and maybe you do too," She shrugged, dismissing any plans Gabriel might have had. "So what do you say? Let's ditch this session and go about our lives."

She took a fifty-dollar bill out of her purse and slid it across the table to Gabriel. Offended, he shoved it right back toward her.

"I'd rather earn my money, thank you," he said hastily. He slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose and sat up straight. "So, which subject do you want to start with?"

Elle sighed. "You are _so_ not fun." She sank in her chair and flung the first book she grabbed from her bag onto the table. It landed with a thick, attention-grabbing thump. "This one, I guess."

Gabriel looked at the title of the book, scandalized. "The Joy of Sex?" He whispered.

Elle nodded, loving the reaction she got from him. "Yeah, I wanna start here."

"What class is this even for?" He asked her, his face burning.

"No class," Elle said with a smirk. "It's purely recreational reading." She flipped the book open to a random page and shoved it across the table to Gabriel, pointing at one of the pictures. "They should update this book a little, don't you think? Big bushes are kinda our parents' era."

Gabriel's brown eyes widened considerably. Staring back at him was a black and white photo of the biggest mound of pubes he'd ever seen. "I- I suppose…" he stammered.

Elle laughed at him cruelly. "Sorry, I bet you haven't even seen a girl's crotch before, huh?"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed and he slammed her book shut. "What I have or haven't seen is no concern of yours," He shoved the book back toward Elle and stood up. "I'll be here again tomorrow. Come prepared with _text_ books, not this filth."

He didn't care. No amount of easy money could possibly be worth this kind of torture. It was bad enough he had to endure her while at school; he wasn't about to let this mean, beautiful girl invade his life.

The next afternoon, Gabriel made it to the library before Elle did. He sat and waited for her for fifteen minutes before she showed up, all pink cheeks and heaving chest.

"You're late," he commented.

"I know," Elle breathed, sitting beside him. "I had to run here- my ride never showed." She removed her white pea coat and straightened a tight v-neck t-shirt out against her chest. Still catching her breath, she leaned between Gabriel and herself to pick up one of her textbooks. Gabriel tried unsuccessfully to avoid staring down her shirt. "So. I brought a real book this time," she said, displaying her Psychology textbook as if she were a model on a game show.

Gabriel nodded. "So let's study."

Elle gave a fake smile and put the book aside. "I was wondering," she started and let it hang.

Gabriel's thick eyebrows rose. "About?" He silently hoped it pertained to psychology.

"Well, what you look like," Elle said, reaching for his face with her cold hands. She stopped when Gabriel flinched away from her. "Without glasses, I mean."

He frowned. "I look exactly the same." He pointed to her textbook with a long, thick finger. "Now let's get started."

Elle gave a long, lazy stretch of her arm across the table to her book. "Fine, killjoy," she said. She pulled the book between the two of them and opened it to the chapter they were currently reviewing in her class. She let her arms rest tightly against her ribs, pushing her breasts together. "But if you change your mind…"

Gabriel's eyes wandered from the book to Elle's low-cut blouse and lingered on her exposed cleavage for a second longer than he may have intended. While distracted, Elle took the opportunity to remove his square, black-framed glasses.

"Give those back," he demanded quietly. He reached a hand out to pull them away from Elle.

She laughed, a short bark of a sound and leaned back. Gabriel's glasses were clutched in her hand, far from his reach. When she stopped laughing at him, she caught her breath and sighed. "Have you ever thought of contacts?" She asked him.

"What? No, of course not," he answered. "They're a waste of money." He watched Elle's body lean back towards his and took his chance at snatching his glasses back.

She was took quick for him, her hand darting away from his. "Well, you may want to consider them," Elle hinted. "You look," she paused, trying to think of the proper word. With a shrug, she leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Her soft lips collided with his and before Gabriel could shove her away or reciprocate, she pulled back. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking," she breathed.

"Who do you think you are?" Gabriel whispered, enraged. He grabbed a hold of Elle's wrist and roughly took his glasses out of her thin fingers. "How dare you, Elle."

Elle only grinned at him, watching as he put his glasses back on. "You're really hot when you're pissed, Gabriel." Her little hand found a resting place on his thigh. When he didn't bat it away, she squeezed him there. She was teasing him. Teasing him the way she teased other boys. Gabriel couldn't stand it. All this taunting, it couldn't be worth it.

With inhuman speed he had her pinned to the table, her wrists bound above her head in one of his hands. He held his other hand on Elle's hipbone. He couldn't help but enjoy the surprised look in Elle's eyes. He'd show her.

Gabriel bent over, his larger body pressed against Elle's. With his forehead against hers, he spoke lowly. "I am not like the other guys and I do _not_ enjoy the way you toy with me." He felt Elle's breath come in short, hot gasps when he ground his hips into hers. "I don't enjoy being teased. Not by you, not by anyone."

He watched as Elle tightly shut her eyes. Her hips bucked up against his and she started to rub her warm core against his growing erection. "I'm not teasing," she whispered.

Wide brown eyes stared down at her. Her face was flushed, her golden hair spilling all over the desk. Though her hands her pinned above her head, she made good use of her legs. She wrapped both tightly around Gabriel's waist and pulled him all the closer to her. "Come _on_, Gabe," she taunted. "I see how you look at me." She licked her lips purposefully. "Do you want to fuck me or not?"

Shocked, Gabriel stood straight up with Elle's legs still tightly wound about his waist. "You're so-" He started. "I'm not going to do this anymore. Find a new-" He didn't have time to complete that thought. Elle's iPhone began to blare the chorus to Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'.

"That's must be Daddy," Elle breathed, signaling Gabriel to release her hands and let her answer her phone. When his grip loosened, she picked the phone up and answered it casually "Yes?"

Gabriel untangled Elle's legs from his midsection and tried in vain not to look up her skirt at the lacy red panties she had chosen to go with for that day. Sitting down was out of the question for the moment, so he walked over to the window and stared outside while Elle had a one-sided conversation with her father.

"Okay, Daddy…" Elle said for the first time since answering the phone. After a pause, her voice got smaller. "Why didn't you pick me up?" she heaved a heavy sigh away from the phone and rolled her eyes. "So when will you be home?" She winked to Gabriel. "That's two whole weeks," she started complaining. "…And what do I do for dinner the rest of the time you're gone?" She opened and closed her hand at Gabriel, signing that her father talked too much. "Alright Daddy, well have fun… I love y-" She paused, then set her phone on the table.

Uncomfortable, Gabriel broke the silence. "Umm, it's getting late and I have to go. I have a test in the morning."

Elle nodded and followed him outside with her things. "Same time tomorrow?"

"I'm having dinner with my mother," Gabriel quickly said. He needed to find a good way to tell her he wasn't coming by anymore. He wasn't a very good liar, so maybe the mother excuse would work on Elle.

"Friday night," Elle suggested.

Gabriel made a face. "You want to study on a Friday night?" He might have been a nerd, but he had to make sure she knew that even _he_ had better things to do on Friday nights.

"That's fine, we don't have to study," Elle said and placed her hands on her hips. "You can take me out instead."

"I don't think I want to take you out, Elle."

"Well, _Saturday's_ open for me too, we could-"

"I mean I don't think I want to take you out at _all_," Gabriel said harshly. The disappointed look on her face caused him to backpedal almost immediately. "I mean that I…" Oh, he needed to think of something nice to say and _quick. _"It's just I don't want your pity dates in exchange for me helping you study."

Elle seemed unconvinced. "Uh-huh." She folded her arms and leaned in the doorway.

"I could come by Sunday afternoon and help you for a little while," he suggested. "After church, of course." And after that, no more, he mentally added. He really needed to stop seeing this girl. He hated the person he was when he was around her.

Elle looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Okay."

The rest of the week, Gabriel avoided Elle at all costs. He hated how small and stupid she made him feel. She teased him with her body and led him on with her words. She may have been the best-looking girl on campus, but she was so inconceivably _mean_.

The group she ran with wasn't exactly known as the nicest girls, either. Claire Bennet, another blonde was known for getting into fights. There was a nasty rumor floating around that she was sleeping with her uncle and the best way she dealt with that was by beating people up. Elle's other friend, Eden, looked nice enough with her big doe eyes and pixie haircut, but she had a habit of blackmailing people to get them to do what she wanted.

That Saturday, Gabriel sat in the computer lab, hoping to finish up the first draft of his paper when Elle came strutting in with Eden in tow. He tried his best to ignore them until Eden sat to his left, Elle to his right.

"Hey Gray," Eden greeted him. Gabriel ignored her.

"Gabriel," Elle tried a little more softly than Eden had. "What are you up to tonight?"

He pushed his glasses up on his nose and regarded Elle a moment before looking quickly to Eden. "Why?"

"We're going to sneak into the zoo tonight and free some of the animals," Eden whispered.

"What for?" He asked. It seemed like a stupid thing to do. Wasn't that something high school kids did? He was a semester away from graduating college for God's sake.

Elle shrugged. "Just to do it. So do you wanna come be our look out?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Why me? Can't get Claire to come with you guys?"

Eden and Elle shared a look before Eden informed Gabriel "She's having a… _family_ dinner… tonight."

Huh. So maybe that rumor might have been true.

"So what do you think?" Eden asked.

"Yeah, Gabriel," Elle encouraged. "Pleeeeease?"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. He had nothing better to do. Maybe he could help keep Elle out of trouble. "Fine. What time do you want to meet?"

Elle beamed and hugged him tightly around his shoulders. "Yesss! At seven, meet us at my house, we'll carpool in Eden's dad's SUV."

"This is stupid," Gabriel told himself for the hundredth time. He made the walk from the subway to Elle's house in record time. He still couldn't believe he agreed to do this with her. They were _all_ going to get in trouble. Maybe he could get himself away in time if things went wrong- he was a very good runner, all things considered.

He got to Elle's front door and rang the bell. It felt like hours before she answered it, clad in tight black pants, knee high boots, and the tightest black sweater. "Oh good, you didn't change your mind!"

Gabriel suddenly felt a little under-dressed in his brown cable knit sweater and khakis. "I thought I'd try to keep you out of trouble. If you get kicked out of school, then I lose my job tutoring you," he reasoned.

Elle smirked. "Right," she motioned for him to come inside. "I believe you said you were quitting me last time we met…"

When Gabriel stepped inside Elle's house, he instantly noticed he wasn't the only guy there. A lanky dirty blond man was reclining in the soft leather recliner, and fairly young guy was there- probably a freshman- sitting and wringing his hands like he was just waiting to get into trouble.

Gabriel tried to hide his surprise, but Elle instantly caught it. "Gabriel, this is Adam," Elle pointed to the blond man, "And Luke." The kid sitting on the coffee table nodded as he pulled his hood up on his sweatshirt. "Guys, this is Gabriel. He's going to be our look out." Elle patted Gabriel on his arm before wandering off to find Eden. "Be right back, then we can go."

Gabriel had no idea what to do so he shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided eye contact with the other two men in the room. He studied the pattern on the carpet until one of the guys spoke up in a British accent.

"Three of us an' two of them. Not bad odds, eh?"

Luke shrugged, fingers tracing an ornate clock on the table before shoving it into his sweatshirt's front pocket.

Gabriel frowned. "I don't think that belongs to you," he said quietly to Luke.

"You gonna tell on me?" Luke asked mockingly.

Gabriel's fist clenched in his pocket.

"Time to go, boys!" Eden shouted from the top of the stairs. She slid down the banister, a long, black trench coat billowing in her wake. She hopped down and directed the three males to the large SUV parked in the driveway. "Elle Bishop, get your ass down here!" she called over her shoulder, pulling a black knit hat over her head.

"I'm coming! _Jesus_," Elle swore, exiting the house in a fashion similar to Eden's. At the bottom of the banister, Elle hopped off and tugged on Gabriel to get him to follow her out.

Gabriel wanted to politely remind Elle to not take the Lord's name in vain, but decided against it in fear of having fun poked at him. He sat in the rear-most seat in the SUV and remained quiet for the duration of the ride to the zoo. Once there, Eden turned around in her seat and reminded everyone of their roles in their juvenile outing.

"Okay guys, so remember: Adam, you get us in. Luke's on cameras. Elle and I will try and break the cages open. Gabe, you hang back here and call Elle if you notice any coppers."

Elle giggled. "You said 'coppers'. What year is this?"

Eden playfully slapped Elle's arm. "Ready guys?" Luke nodded while Adam sing-songed "Yes". Gabriel exited the SUV without a word.

"So how are we getting in, Adam?" Elle asked, her hand sneaking its way into the crook of Adam's arm. Gabriel hated the way his eyes narrowed at the display. Why would he care who Elle touched?

Adam produced a set of bolt cutters from the inside of his jacket. "Magic, luv."

Elle squealed in faux astonishment. "So get on it, then." She slapped him hard on the back, nodded to Luke. "Call once they're all off."

Luke nodded and hopped over the fence once Adam cut the chain open.

The foursome stood in anticipation while Luke ran off on his errand.

"Anyone want a sip?" Elle asked, a flask appearing out of her vest. She unscrewed the top and took a long swig. After making a choking noise, she offered it to Eden, who also took a big sip. Eden passed it to Adam, and he did the same.

When the flask came to Gabriel, he held up his hand. "No thank you, I don't drink."

Eden laughed cruelly. "Oh man, what a square!"

Gabriel frowned, insulted. He was surprised when Adam came to his defense. "He's not a square. He's here ain' he?"

Eden seemed to consider it while Elle's iPhone interrupted them with its obnoxious ringtone. "We're coming," she said before hanging up on him. "Let's go!" She was the first to run off, separating herself from the rest of the group.

Eden rolled her eyes. "There she goes. 'Kay guys, meet back at the entrance in thirty minutes or I leave without you." She took off in the opposite direction of Elle's.

Gabriel noticed Adam's leer at Eden's backside. "I think I'll go with her. Keep her outta trouble, am I right?" He told Gabriel before following Eden.

Gabriel sighed and remained at the entrance for look out duties. He hated what he was doing. This was the kind of thing he promised himself he'd never do to fit in. After all the times he vowed to never succumb to peer pressure, here he stood, outside a fucking zoo while kids that were mean to him ran amok inside.

It would serve them right if he just left and called the police. That little thief Luke would be caught and sent to juvie, rude Eden and that lecherous Adam would probably spend the night in jail and get put on academic probation. And Elle would finally learn not to tease and tease and _tease_ him.

Of course, she'd probably end up hating him, too. After tonight, he knew there'd be no more tutoring money coming in. No more stolen kisses across the library tables. No more of Elle's warm little hand squeezing his thigh. No more Elle's tight body pressed under his, her legs wrapped around him, making him so fucking hard he can't see…

Gabriel's legs were moving before even he realized what he was doing or where he was going. He stalked through the zoo, trying his best to be quiet as if the animals are going to tell on him. "Elle," he stage-whispered, hoping he didn't look too stupid.

He spotted her not too far ahead, looking down into a created habitat for one of the zoo animals. When he got closer, Gabriel could see Elle was staring at the wolves. Careful not to scare her, he whispered her name before approaching her.

"Elle, what are you doing?"

She turned around and stared at him for a second before turning her attention back to the wolves. "Just thinking," she answered. She was frowning.

Gabriel looked down at her before following her line of vision to the captive beasts below. "Thinking of what?"

"Just what it feels like to be caged like this," she said quietly. "I feel so bad for them."

"So you're going to turn them loose into the city?" Gabriel asked.

Elle nodded.

"You know animal control will just shoot them," he warned her.

Elle nodded again. "Probably, but it can't possibly be worse than this. They're prisoners. Stuck in a hole because someone thinks they're doing what's best for them." Her hands balled into fists. "I'd rather be dead."

It was obvious to Gabriel that Elle wasn't just talking about the wolves. This strange, trouble-making girl actually had some feelings under the mean façade she put up. Perhaps there was more to her than the hormonal, cruel girl Gabriel had originally pegged her to be. Elle's hair glowed under the full moon and the warm air leaving her lungs hung in front of her face. When her icy blue eyes met his, Gabriel couldn't help himself. He cupped Elle's face in both his gloved hands and kissed her softly.

Elle sighed in appreciation and curled her body against Gabriel's. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss and slid his tongue past her pliant lips. God, she tasted so good: expensive whiskey that was older than he was and something entirely Elle herself. He felt Elle's little tongue brush against his and he couldn't help but groan. He wanted her too much and it was too hard to fight it.

"You smell nice," Elle commented. She dug her hands under Gabriel's shirt and warmed them against his hot skin. "Mmm, and you feel nice, too."

Gabriel hissed at the feeling of Elle's cold hands on his bare skin. He gasped loudly when one of Elle's hands reached down the front of his pants and grasped his hardening shaft. "What are y-"

"Ooh," Elle breathed. "And you_ like_ me..."

He closed his eyes tight and tilted his head back. When he opened them, he saw flashing blue lights. "Elle," he breathed. Oh shit. "Elle!"

"Wow, is it that good for you?" Elle flirted. Then she saw what Gabriel was worried about. "Fuck," she whispered, removing her hand. "You were supposed to be look out!"

"Police!" They heard. "Come out now or we're coming in!" 

"Shitshitshit, my dad's going to fucking _kill_ me," Elle said quietly, looking to Gabriel for help.

Gabriel looked around for a place for them to hide and came up with nothing. Then he turned around looked into the wolves' pen. "Here," he pointed to the wolves and sighed when Elle shook her head 'no'. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Okay… but you first," she said.

Gabriel hopped over the high fence that was behind the guardrail and then climbed down the wall about halfway so he was still hanging onto the fence, but just above where it ended and dropped into the wolves' pen. Running footsteps alerted him that either the police were coming or their accomplices were giving chase. "Hurry, Elle!"

Elle whined and tried to scale the fence. She struggled to get a foothold, done in by way of her fashionable, but terribly insensible boots. The chain-link fence rattled and jounced Gabriel a little bit. "This is impossible!" Elle complained. The fence rattled some more and a new noise got Gabriel's attention.

Looking down, Gabriel saw three wolves circling the area of fence he was hanging from. A medium-sized gray one growled and a smaller black one gave a short bark. Not one to usually curse, Gabriel surprised himself when a weak "shit" escaped his lips.

"Gabriel, I'm so sorry!" Gabriel heard before the unmistakable sound of Elle's boots running away.

He felt the sweat gather in his palms and between his fingers regardless of the cooler autumn temperatures. Determined to keep himself from falling, Gabriel tightened his fingers' grip on the bottom of the fence.

The third wolf, a huge gray and white, began to howl at him.

Terrified, Gabriel kicked his legs in attempt to get some footing against the wall. If he could get one of his feet on any sort of ledge, then he could start climbing back up the fence. His movements did nothing but make his grip weaker. He felt his fingers slide against the thin metal, then the hollow, useless feeling of falling. When he hit the ground, the wolves swarmed him. Frozen in shock, he didn't even think to try to defend himself. The biggest one, the one that howled at him, bit him first- on the shoulder. The small black one bit him next on his thigh.

Sharp canine teeth sank into his flesh and tore at his body. Thick blood soon escaped his wounds, pooling around him on the cold, unforgiving ground. He felt rough paws steady themselves against his ribcage when the third wolf entered the fray and bit into his arm.

Of all the ways to die, he never imagined he'd go out getting eaten alive.


End file.
